


The end is coming

by Redthuggycat



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Character Study, Depression, Gen, Manipulation, Papyrus isn't naive, Protective Sans (Undertale), Undertale Genocide Route, general panic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-01
Updated: 2020-10-21
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:41:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,332
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25018699
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Redthuggycat/pseuds/Redthuggycat
Summary: The sudden arrival of a human turns the underground into a living hell. Monsters do their best to protect their loved ones from the bloodshed, Papyrus more than anybody else.
Kudos: 13





	1. Panic spreads fast

“Everybody leave the town and head toward Waterfall!” 

Monsters were running everywhere. 

“I repeat! Everybody head toward Waterfall!” 

Everything had gone to chaos the moment warning bells had been rung all over Snowdin town, after Undyne had come to their village and announced the tragic message from the royal scientist. The captain had appeared early in the morning, grave and sweaty. She’d suddenly dashed toward Grillby's bar, and climbed the façade shouting for everyone's attention. Her odd behavior had first amused some passersby, whose smiles and chuckles had soon faltered into grimaces and whimpers when she’d started to set the tone. 

She'd warned them of the arrival of a human. A dirty murderer, as she'd put it, killing every monster crossing their path. 

Papyrus groped his way through the crowd, not looking back even as he hit into someone and ended up on his knees. No time for this, the danger was too great for him to pace himself. He blurted an apology out, and got back to his feet quickly, pushing on his legs even as they gave him a hard time. Moving the joints was terribly painful after so much comings and goings, and this bad headache throbbing against his skull was getting harder and harder to ignore. 

“Papyrus?” 

He almost forgot to stop in his tracks when someone’s voice uttered his name, and found himself turning around a couple of feet away from the call. In the middle of the agitated swarm, stood Red Bird, with an expression of open dread Papyrus himself was trying to keep from showing. “Papyrus!” he repeated. “What do you think you’re doing going back there? Waterfall’s this way!” He fluttered a wing in the opposite direction. “Where’s Sans?” 

“I don’t know! I-” Papyrus responded as nervously, stopping when he realized the danger of such inconsistent talk. “I’m sorry, I don’t have much time. Please, If you run into Undyne, tell her I’m helping the village to cross Waterfall!” 

Papyrus didn’t wait for him to acknowledge everything. He picked up the pace before Red Bird managed to get a word out, and set for the path leading out of town, hoping to find his brother on the way. 

Sans...he wished he could see him one last time. 

The street was disturbingly quiet. The once joyful vibes radiating from downtown, where reverberating children's laughter could be heard throughout the village, were now nothing more than a morbid echo of the center of yesterday, from which only cries and wails resounded. Papyrus passed through houses and buildings along the road, telling instructions to lost monsters, and reassuring those who didn’t want to take the risk of leaving their homes, some harder to convince than others. 

“The Angel of Death has come to kill us all!” 

“They’ll come if you don’t get out of this house!” retorted the female rabbit at the door. “Bunny, come on now, we can’t stay here.” 

“We-we’re going to die!” 

“Stop whining like a baby and come out already!” 

The rabbit was met with nothing but sobs. She sighed, exasperated, and turned back to sit on the ground in defeat. Papyrus stilled for a moment. He wasn't one to grow used to seeing suffering, especially when it came down to a peer. The sorrow inside of his soul will forever remain fresh and sharp at the sight of someone in need. At a loss for words, he silently inched closer to give her a pat on the shoulder – the monster’s drooped ears perking up at the gesture – and positioned himself in the entryway. 

“You, behind the door,” he called, summoning several bones aloft. “Step away. I’m breaking through in the count of three.” 

Papyrus heard a gasp and frantic shuffling from the other side before the door slammed open against the wall. He immediately dissolved his attacks when the bunny stepped out angrily, calling him a lunatic with his arms flailing in the air. The insult was hard to take, but at least the female rabbit looked relieved to see the other. She thanked the skeleton, and scurried past him to crawl all over the upset monster, who seemed to loosen up a little under the sudden affection. 

Papyrus found it a good time to leave. He began to walk, casting one last glance at the two reunited monsters, and slipped away with a smile on his face. He held this happy expression for as long as he could, reticent to let go of the only warm spark he'd found after so many hours of worry. This short instant had been a gift, a momentary peace of mind, but will soon prove itself a meagre reprieve in light of what laid ahead, that much he was certain. 

They were coming. This painful thought never once left him during the run, quite the contrary. It was happily lodging in his mind, like a sort of virus of fear taking refuge inside of an already weakened body. A soul stricken by strong emotions was a powerful soul, and Papyrus’s was no exception to the rule. The rhythm of his pulse and footsteps quickened at the idea of a disaster, and the skeleton ended up racing down the street before he knew. He couldn’t afford to lose any more time. 

His knees gave away as soon as he reached the rope bridge outside of the village, his breathing sharp and painful against the snowy ground. All this running over town didn’t do his tired legs any good, and the beads of sweat on his bones had gotten unbearably cold now that no buildings protected him from gusts of wind. Not allowed to stop, Papyrus ended the respite after a few exhales, pushing himself on his feet with much more lassitude than he intended. He raised his drowsy eyes to the bridge, very surprised, – and by surprised, he meant one of those gut-wrenching shocks that made the pit of one’s stomach flutter – to see a familiar figure through the haze of snowflakes. 

The monster stood still at the edge, bent over the sustained ropes and turned toward the far forested landscape. Never had Papyrus expected to find him here. 

“What are you doing, Sans?” 

His soul skipped a beat when his brother faced him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edit: I changed the tense in the first chapter so this doesn't feel different from the second one


	2. All's fair in love and war

The snowfall appeared slow, almost frozen in time, and the loud murmur of the wind which had been hitting his body temperature for hours now, suddenly went quiet, muffled, a mere bother that he subconsciously brushed in the back of his mind. 

Neither of them decided to voice their feelings out loud, and the next few moments were spent in a long and insufferable silence, without a sound to tame Papyrus’s overstimulated soul but the rustles of trees and the cracks of old wood underneath their feet. A few seconds longer, and he’d have spoken just for the sake of saying something, that is, if Sans hadn’t drawn a mitt under his eyes. An action that, unfortunately, did nothing to put an end to silence’s reign. His brother seemed quite fine with watching the flakes fall in his gloved palm before Papyrus, who in contrast couldn’t feel anything but a profound sense of helplessness slowly taking its toll on him. 

"It's snowing." 

While he knew Sans wasn’t one to blurt every thought coming to mind, he couldn't help but feel taken aback by such plain remark. 

"Yes." The taller responded hastily. "It has been for some time." 

"And I have this weird feeling; like it’s not supposed to snow..." Sans said, his stare leaving his hand to land on Papyrus. "Can you feel it?" 

If by this Sans meant that the weather seriously needed to warm up, then yes, considering all the pain the cold had been inflicting on him throughout the morning. Though, he really doubted his brother was concerned about such trivial matter, so he shyly shook his head, resolved to vocalize as few words as possible for now, lest his voice came out broken and pitiful. 

Sans stared at him, long and hard. Even if his expression didn’t reveal anything remotely close to emotion, Papyrus could tell that he was thinking very carefully about something. “Figured as much.” He ended to say, visibly disappointed. 

His brother had the habit of hiding his hands into folds of clothing, so familiarly, he tucked his mitt away from the frost to settle it into the warmth of his thick coat. And just like that, he was all smiles again, grinning with that kind of simper Papyrus had usually the pleasure to see before he made a joke. “By the way,” he winked, causing the taller to tense. “dumb question but isn’t it a little too cold for you to do some jogging?” 

Consumed by his own cowardice, Papyrus tore his gaze away. He couldn’t look Sans in the eye. While it was true that his brother hadn't shown anger this far, he was still mostly certain that Sans was upset. If only he screamed his frustrations, the shame would then have been much more bearable. And no matter the harshness, Papyrus would have accepted every scream and complaint with a smile. His silence was something that simply couldn’t be less painful than words. 

"Yeah. I was expecting that reaction.” Sans said again, lower. “We both know what’s under the table here, so let’s do ourselves a favor and get to the point. If your plan is to fight the kid, let me tell you this, Papyrus; they’re far more powerful than any of us. You don’t stand a chance against them.” 

Papyrus snapped his head upwards, failing to hide his utter surprise, now openly showing on his face. 

”I-I'm not going to fight them, Sans. I’ll just...” he trailed off, ashamed. It was hard to admit that he had planned to reason with them. Many were those who had scoffed at his ‘naivety’ in the past, as some had named his tendency to empathize for everyone and everything. “Okay, fine. Maybe a little! But try to understand, Sans, the human is a child. They might be upset right now, but If we show them the right way, there’s a good chance that they’ll change for the better!” He encouraged, hurt to see that the more he spoke the less Sans looked convinced. “Brother, Listen. I know this might be hard to believ-” 

“Oh, I hear you very well.” the small skeleton said, unmoved. “I get that you think it wise to try and talk some sense into that murderer. There’s still one tiny problem though. So far, every monster who got in their way were killed without even a second thought. All of them. So, yeah, you’re right. I find it hard to believe that the human will wait for you to deliver them the speech about friendship.” 

The tone was harsh enough to make him wince. He knew Sans had put it this way to rub salt into the wound. Upsetting, but understandable... in some respects. His brother had to defend his position, had to win over him, and this, no matter the means. 

The two skeletons glared at each other wordlessly, as a blow of cold momentarily brushed against their bodies and lifted their clothes along. In a moment of weakness, Sans closed his eyelids shut, taking in a long breath of glacial air. Papyrus had never seen his brother this strongly conﬂicted before, and to know that this was all his fault made his soul ache with the need to apologize. 

"We don’t have to do this, you know?" Sans said calmly. "You and I could just go back to Waterfall, back to helping the monsters.” 

“Sorry. I wish I could, Sans. I really do.” 

“’Course, heh. Right. How stupid of me. I should’ve guessed you wouldn’t take the easy way.” 

Tiredly, Sans raised a hand and pinched his nasal bone; odds were that he’d spent the major part of the morning in as much pain as Papyrus, if not more in view of his poor shape. He should be ashamed to be such a problem. The dark circles weighing under his sockets and the lack of shine in his eyes were, in and of itself, sufficient reasons for that. “All right, okay.” Sans said as he slumped against the ropes, the prop helping his tired elbows. “I’ll leave you to it then, Pap. Whatever happens next ‘s up to you now.” 

The tall skeleton gazed blankly at Sans, who in return gave him the expecting look. 

Huh? Did he just hear right? Sans...did he seriously want him to initiate a fight? 

“I’m not s-sure I...” Papyrus had never been recognized for his changes of heart; Sans should know that. And he definitely should know that he’d remain firm now of all times. Even though he was less than happy at the idea of stepping ahead and confront him, backing off simply remained out of the question so long as the human killed. 

Did that mean he’d have to...? 

Papyrus winced at the mere thought of resorting to force. How disgusting of him to even dare think it. 

He just needed to try again. Talk things out. Convey his feelings. His brother would surely understand if the reasons were given. 

“Wait. There’s something I need to tell you before-” he fumbled uneasily, not really knowing where to start. Sans, bless his soul, gently prodded him to keep going. “This is about the time I... behaved poorly. You know, that day when I rushed to Waterfall and asked Undyne to recruit me into the royal guard?” 

“The time you begged and cried on her door at midnight.” Sans corrected. 

“Yes,” the tall skeleton admitted, hands subconsciously tightening at his swathed neck. “yes, this very moment.” 

Papyrus bowed his head so he wouldn’t see the faintest gleam of disappointment in his brother’s eyes. “Once, you asked me what had happened, why I had been so upset that night. So, I told you that I wanted to become popular, that the guard was the only way for me to make my dream come true." He scolded at the ground, letting go of his scarf to hug himself. “But it was...well, it was a lie.” 

If it weren’t for that break of eye-contact, he’d have choked on his words. Internally, Papyrus tried to encourage himself to raise his chin, an action he strongly regretted from the very moment his eyes met his brother’s glacial pinpricks of lights. Sans’s stare was stern. Not exactly cold, but it was undeniable to say that the look had very little to do with the one he always had. In the end, his courage died out as fast as it ignited. 

“I-I couldn’t tell you the reason back then. I...I was a coward.” 

“Just tell me, Pap.” 

“I wanted to stop the human from destroying our world.” 

His face felt hot. Most likely that his cheekbones had turned red because of the embarrassment. When Papyrus had expected some sort of reaction from the other, his assumptions ended up being false when his brother didn’t so much as budge a ﬁnger. Admittedly, the tone in his response had sounded rather inappropriate for a declaration of death. How lamentable. "Do you understand now, brother, why I can't turn back?" 

Whether out of pity or shame, Sans let out a long dramatic sigh, running a hand over his face. “Not you too.” 

At that moment, Papyrus was tempted to ask him how long he had known, and if this was the reason why he couldn’t ﬁnd it in himself the will to wake up in the morning. But nothing he wanted to say escaped from his mouth, as if the words stayed stuck in his throat, and it wasn’t long before the opportunity slipped away. “I have to ask the question then.” Sans went on, his uncovered eye shining intensely at him. “How did you ﬁnd out about this?” 

"A friend told me." 

"The ﬂower?" 

Papyrus nodded, but not without a struggle. He’d told him about Flowey on the very same day he’d shouted at Undyne’s door, the secrets of his friend too heavy for him to shoulder it alone. His crying and whining hadn’t stopped Sans from listening to his incoherent babbling until the end. His brother had always been a great listener, and a quiet monster. 

“Flowey told me a lot of things. Bad things. About the human, about the world, and...” 

About you, Sans. 

If the predictions of his friend had been a slap in the face, the revelations on his brother had been a punch in the gut. Holding back tears had been hard on him that day, unlike Flowey, who had seemed very motivated by the idea of saving Sans from himself, his stem and leaves bouncing joyfully with each thought he’d proposed, all in a cheerful and playful - sometimes even oddly incongruous - pitch. 'The poor thing needs help, Papyrus, we must help him in any way we can! Just think about the consequences if we don't do anything!' He'd exclaimed each time the tall skeleton hesitated to follow. Those words had been engraved in his memory ever since, recurring sometimes in his head on days Sans acted less than usual. Even now Papyrus could remember the recurrent aches he’d felt afterward, feeling incredibly guilty of his own carelessness. He always regretted that he’d never paid enough attention to notice his brother’s grief; the few times he’d been able to tell not worrying him enough to interfere. In fact, Sans’ jokes, pranks, and laziness, had not only never stirred Papyrus, but had also distracted him from finding anything out about him. No wonder everything had appeared so clear after his friend’s concession, like Flowey had given him the solution to a puzzle he’d quite never ﬁgured. 

A particularly loud crack beneath his feet brought him back to reality, and Papyrus was shocked to discover that Sans was still patiently waiting for him to ﬁnish. Right. Now wasn’t the time to be in his head. “When I heard this, I panicked. I just had to do something.” he resumed, his voice still a little affected by feelings. “I thought that by joining the Royal Guard, I’d become strong; that capturing the human could save the underground. And…and for this too, I think, I owe you an apology.” 

For a moment, Sans stared at him like a second head had grown on him. “You’re losing me here, bro.” 

“I mean about the royal guard! It’s because you took all these jobs that I could work on my goal. I relied on you more than I should have.” He cried. “It was selﬁsh of me. I never wondered if you were happy with this.” 

A profound sense of helplessness gnawed at his soul when Sans shook his head in protest, as if doubting of his sincerity in its purest display. “Sweet talk isn’t going to change my mind.” 

“And what if…what if what I took for laziness wasn’t laziness? What if each time I ordered you around made you hate me a little more? What if all I did was worsen things for you?” 

“Pap.” 

“How could I not see-“ 

“Okay, Papyrus, that’s enough.” 

The tall skeleton managed to stop himself, and he rested his gaze on his brother's face, now locked in a strong emotion of sorrow. “It doesn’t matter how I felt.” Sans deﬂected. “Come on please, I can’t stand you beating yourself up like that. This isn’t-” he swallowed and glanced away. “This isn’t true, and you know it.” 

To that, Papyrus was very decided to retort, but thought better of it before anything was said impulsively. He shouldn’t dwell on this, not when his brother had given him clear signs of rejection. 

“...you tried your best, is all.” 

Papyrus recoiled and tightened his fists. It was taking him all his willpower not to scream that this was wrong. Why was Sans always overestimating him like this? Why won’t he admit his mistake? Suddenly feeling bothered by something around the sides of his face, he pressed a hand against his cheekbones, not really surprised to feel wetness and warmth at the touch. Tears. Maybe that was why Sans looked like he’d been stricken by one of Undyne’s spears. 

“Look, I understand.” Sans said, his facial features loosening. “I understand, okay? But you can't go back there. That’s insane.” 

“What would be considered sane then, brother?” Papyrus retorted, palm still wiping frantically his cheeks. “Let it happen? Leave us all to die?” 

Sans sighed. “Papyrus.” 

“’Papyrus’ what? The decision is mine, Sans, not yours. That’s something you simply can’t decide for me.” 

On a whim, and too riled up to notice, his words were accompanied by steps that he bitterly took forward, bringing back the tension that he’d struggled so hard to calm. 

“Yeah, you may be right.” Sans squinted. “But to be fair with you, I don't care about that anymore. Now stay where you are.” 

The command hit Papyrus right in the chest, and he stopped immediately. If he didn’t know better, if he didn’t know for a fact that Sans always acted out of love for his brother, he would have said he was being inconsiderate. Many times, had he sacriﬁced himself for Papyrus, and suffered to ensure his protection. From this point of view, it seemed cruel to ﬁght against someone he really cared about. Sans was only expressing his love...in his own way. 

Maybe his brother simply thought that Papyrus was acting on an impulse, or - as many had told him repeatedly - that Papyrus was too naive, too wide-eyed, and much too venturous for his own good. Not that he could blame them. Granted that the harshest remarks had hurt him in the past, he never held a grudge toward anyone who’d told him. With time, he’d come to realize that he was a lot more trustful than what appeared reasonable for others. 

Gritting his teeth, Papyrus picked up the pace, mentally struggling to ignore the look of hurt on his brother's face. Poor Sans, suffering from decisions that weren’t his own...Why did it have to be this way? If only his own choices didn’t affect him. But what else could he possibly do when danger was near? Leave? How could he think even for a second to leave the bridge when the human was dangerously approachin- 

Beyond the fog of his thoughts, a sudden burst of light immersed the whole area in a blinding and blazing white. Comprehension didn’t even get a chance to reach him before harsh tremors of the bridge caused him to topple, then crash over the sustained ropes at his sides. The world spun, but as the trembles were slowly fading, Papyrus managed to bring his gaze back up, horriﬁed for a second at the thought that the human had caught them up way sooner than planned. A quick glance around him revealed no child in sight, but when relief should have been the ﬁrst feeling to show up within his soul, reality appeared in fact far crueler than what he feared. 

Why was Sans standing in front of a massive attack? And why was his eye ﬂaring up at him like he was some sort of enemy to ﬁght? 

“One more step, Papyrus.” Sans warned, his voice devoid of inﬂection. “Just one more step.” 

The canine attack gave prominence to his threat with a low growl. But as much as this noise made him shake in his boots, Papyrus was fervent to stay. If Sans’s intention was to strike terror into his heart, then he made a huge mistake in thinking he could control him by fear. His attempt was a vain tactic, doomed to fail from the moment the idea brushed his mind. Forget his strong determination and his stubborn nature – it was reason that kept Papyrus ﬁrmly attached to his plans. He’d always considered his brother a monster of great value, bearing too much love for his closed-ones to ever dare hurt them. How could Sans even think he would allow himself to be frightened by the monster in whom he had a blind faith? 

The tall skeleton carried his momentum against the pain. His own problems weren’t things to care about when the future of every kind was at stake. After all, why else would his determination not falter even as Sans – the only family he had left - was aiming at what seemed to be him, his own bones? 

“Papyrus.” He begged. “Please, don’t let me do this to you.” 

A few pearls of sweat rolled down his temporal. Those pleas would have, under normal circumstances, been the trigger Papyrus needed to stop in his impulsions. And believe it, there was nothing he wanted more than to just stop. Tell Sans that he would go back to Snowdin town and help the rest of his kind through Waterfall. 

But the circumstances weren't normal. Far from it. They were such that he found it no longer safe to stop. Time was ticking, and his brother was still on that human’s path. 

Sans gazed over the bridge, where trees swayed and crackled in the wind. It had started to howl with renewed gusts, as if nature itself lived that moment and conveyed its pain. Funny how the environment played its part of the music sometimes, like their lives were orchestrated by some sort of god. 

His brother’s body faltered for a second, before tensing drastically. At this change, the air grew suffocatingly thick, and an odd sensation of vibration began to resonate throughout his bones. The beast above their heads let out a hiss, before opening his giant jaw with a series of ugly crackling, revealing a cast of magic behind its ranges of sharpened teeth. 

A deluge of bad feelings washed over Papyrus when he realized with horror that that the ﬁre order had been given. 

Still, as scared as he was, the tall skeleton tried to keep in mind some good reasons not to let himself be intimidated. His natural optimism allowed him to think that the attack wasn’t something to be scared about when his brother looked so close to giving up, even less so if one took his tender nature into account. Sans would never open fire, he just knew it, or Sans would no longer be himself anymore, and Papyrus would have for years held wrong images of his brother. 

The bond they had forged wasn’t a lie. It was real, more real, than the fear he could feel spreading deep in his heart. And even this wasn’t an issue. Papyrus had simply to make do with this vicious feeling; to crush it under his devotion to duty, to see no longer a doom in the fate he was given, but a future. 

The day Flowey had told him everything was also the day Papyrus had vowed to ensure everyone's protection. It had been his choice, and since then, his goal, training days and nights in the hope of saving the monsters from the destruction predicted by his friend. 

And he knew better than anyone that Flowey was never wrong when it came to predicting. 

All the more determined at the prospect of death, Papyrus stubbornly increased his pace, stomping on the old wood with a confidence he made sure to show. The canine attack cried and whined as he approached. His brother as well, began to show some poignant signs of his own. 

Sans would not do it, he told himself when he felt a twinge of fear, Sans would never do it. 

His anxiety ebbing away, Papyrus made sure to stop only when their bodies were at hand's reach. He wanted to prove Sans he would stand his ground, show him that he’d not give up under threat. Because his arguments hadn’t reached him, he had to find another way to impress upon him the importance of his plan. 

Papyrus yet again sought his brother’s gaze, ensuring that the look he gave him was filled with unparalleled determination, and then... 

And then everything happened very quickly. 

It might have been what they called the turning point. Still very close to him, he watched as the small skeleton lost it in a split-second, each new breath of air now heaving his chest, and his eye ﬂickering in and out as if he himself didn't know whether to stop. Papyrus realized then soon with shame, that Sans was probably experiencing some sort of intense panic, and that there was nothing he could do to help him through this moment, helpless, frozen by his resolutions and anxieties. 

Papyrus’s body shook with disgust. Yes, it was absolutely deplorable. This moment would doubtlessly deprive him of sleep for a long while after this. But he had to hold on. For Sans’ own good. 

It wasn’t until a few times later that the first manifestations of his brother’s abandonment gave away, his every bone finally relieving of the strong pressure that had taken over all his body and face, the latter particularly, for no longer wearing that unpleasant air of hostility. "I can’t." Sans croaked, letting his arm hang loosely to his side. 

At the sound of his voice, Papyrus widened his eyes. Was that it? He asked himself. After so much opposition, was Sans ﬁnally giving up? 

As if on cue, his lingering doubts were wiped away from the second the giant canine shut its jaw and faded away in a whiff of magic. 

A long moment of silence ensued before Papyrus dared make a move. In a poor attempt to comfort, he kneeled before the broken monster, avoiding any potentially unwanted touches at ﬁrst, lest he hurt him more than he already was. But then, his mind began to really process what he was looking at, and a moment’s notice of the other's much trembling bones was all it took for him to jump on the small skeleton with open arms, pulling his hurt brother into an embrace that he had been craving to give all day. 

Sans’s body was cold against his own, and the fur on his hood smooth and tingly against the side of his skull. With a little hesitation, his brother reciprocated the hug, creeping his hands up to his red scarf in feathery touches. If only Papyrus wasn’t so broken inside. Maybe then he’d have laughed off his shyness. Sans wasn’t the tactile kind, even with him. For fear of intimacy or something else, sadly he’d never known. 

“Come with me, brother.” Papyrus breathed, frostbitten hands tightening their grips on the blue coat. “Together, we’ll guide them through Snowdin, give them awful puzzles. I’m sure they’ll love it.” 

“You’re crazy.” Sans whispered, chuckling slightly and burying his face into the scarf. It made Papyrus want to nuzzle against his temporal, feeling strangely afar from his brother despite their closeness. “Cool and great...but crazy.” 

“I know.” Papyrus said fondly. “I suppose that it runs in the family.” 

Soon, the silence lulled Sans into a comfortable drowse, his breath deep and even against his covered ribcage. Papyrus had soothed him with caresses over his back all along, till he felt the small skeleton shift, then gently pull back, raising his chin for their gazes to meet. “Papyrus.” 

“Yes, Sans?” 

Gingerly, slowly, one of his hands went to brush against Papyrus’s cheek, the touches of his fingers sending warmth down his soul. "You’ve grown strong and I hadn’t noticed.” He said in a hushed voice. “...I’m sorry for not letting go.” 

Papyrus blinked. Everything else suddenly faded into the background; as if his brother had erased all the world’s ills with those few words. Overflowing with love, he rested a hand against his, as a warm smile replaced any expressions of pain. Their lives might be on the threshold of hell, despite everything, he was happy to have Sans by him. His sweet, kind, loving brother. 

“Then that makes us even.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't get this scene out of my head for some reasons. I'm glad it's finally done  
> Thank you for reading chapter2, I hope you enjoyed


End file.
